In a message to the National Railcards Twitter account at 7.48am, youth worker Josh Booth, from Leeds, posted: “Been trying to get 26-30 railcard since 7am, your website crashing and been on hold on the phone since then.”

Tom Drury, from London, wrote: “The launch of the new railcard is a shambles.”

A limit was placed on the number of cards available while the scheme is trialled to assess the impact on revenue and passenger numbers.

It costs £30 each year and saves passengers a third off most fares.

The card is aimed at leisure travellers, with no discounts on season tickets and a £12 minimum fare on all journeys between 4.30am and 10am, excluding weekends and public holidays.

It must be bought online and downloaded on to a smartphone.

The card was previously only available to a limited number of people in East Anglia.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in his Budget speech in November that the railcards would give “4.5 million more young people a third off their rail fares”.

An RDG spokesman said: “The trial of the 26-30 Railcard is part of the rail industry’s long-term plan to change, improve and boost communities by enabling more people to travel by train.

“Research being gathered as part of the 26-30 Railcard trial is being used to inform discussions with the Government about a national roll-out, and to develop new products that make leisure travel easier and better value for customers.”

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